


where the heart is

by shinyhappyfitsofrage



Series: the story of love is hello, goodbye [14]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Post Season 1, cute idiots who are in love, i love them so much sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 01:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5228441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinyhappyfitsofrage/pseuds/shinyhappyfitsofrage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Never before, in his sixteen years, had Wally been so aware of anyone.</p>
<p>Prompt #18857: duong jai</p>
            </blockquote>





	where the heart is

Never before, in his sixteen years, had Wally been so  _aware_  of anyone.

Up in space, in a glorified rock that encircles their earth, a party is going on. The world is saved, justice has been recovered, yada yada. Wally, before tonight, would’ve cared. Pre-2011 Wally would’ve been up there, eating as much food as possible and trying to get Black Canary to dance with him.

Pre-2011 Wally is very different from New Year Wally. New Year Wally is not in space, to start. New Year Wally is alone, in not only an empty room but an empty  _mountain_ , with Artemis.

It’s practically like old times, except they’re both not speaking. The scene usually plays as follows; she says something cutting about his obsession with food, he calls her a harpy or an insufferable wench, they argue about something stupid, Robin tells them to get a room, which causes them to both get even angrier and storm out.

But now there is silence, and the silence is warm and  _goopy_ , and every move she makes is magnified tenfold. Her hands as they pour a glass of water. Her knee, bouncing against the counter. Strands of her hair that are falling out of her ponytail, which is not surprising considering the past twelve hours. Her eyes that flicker every so often over to him, and the way she tries to stop herself from smiling. Her –

Okay, so maybe he’s been  _slightly_  creepy.

It becomes clear that she isn’t intending on saying anything. Wally groans dramatically, and she raises an eyebrow at him. “Tell me you didn’t drag me  _down from space_  so you could have a glass of water.”

She shrugs, leaning against the counter near the fridge. “Hydration is important to me.” She takes a sip of water (and he can’t help but stare at her lips as they touch the glass), and then abruptly pours it all down the sink.

An idea occurs to him, and he bends forward, smirking. “You’re  _nervous_ ,” he says accusingly.

She makes a skeptical noise in her throat, but it does nothing to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. “I am  _not_ , moron.”

“Uh-huh.” He folds his arms over his chest. “We’re not still playing this game, are we?”

“What game?” asks Artemis innocently, but her sarcasm is ruined by the exhaustion in her eyes. In a tone that might be considered sincere, she says, “It was… loud. I had a headache. I just wanted to go home.”

“Are you going to?”

“Going to what?” Her eyebrows arch perfectly, he notices suddenly. Why hadn’t he seen it before? The angle her eyebrows make when they rise on her forehead is  _flawless_. New Years Wally cannot  _not_ focus on it. He forces himself to look at her eyes instead.

“Go home,” he said, pointedly.

She blinks. “I… never mind.” Her fingers run circles along the rim of the now empty glass. She seems embarrassed. “You know, we – you don’t have to… I mean, the party is still going on, if that’s where you -“

Wally snorts, but also blanches a little, because she sounds like she’s trying to get rid of him, like she thinks he has something else better to do. Maybe Pre-2011 Wally would’ve take her up on that offer and returned immediately to the Watchtower, but New Year Wally is busy restraining himself from stepping closer to her. “Yeah, like I am going to just shoot myself back up to  _space_  right after I entered the atmosphere. No thanks.”

Artemis rolls her eyes, smiling. “Right. Because the trip is such a hassle.” But she doesn’t sound so much harsh as much as she does tiredly gentle, and he wonders if maybe this is what New Year Artemis will be like, all rounded corners and clear glasses of water. Then he shakes his head infinitesimally to himself, because Pre-2011 Artemis had her tired gentle moments as well (dull red midnights, hospital gowns, and a knock on his door after she exploded in the winter tundra). She didn’t change.

It’s just through his New Year Wally eyes that he can see her clearly.

* * *

 

Never before, in her almost sixteen years, had Artemis ever been so comfortable.

Strictly speaking, they are not cuddling when the sun rises, pulling back the shadows slumped on the floor. Her head fell on his shoulder when she drifted into unconsciousness, that’s all. Her molecules are barely brushing his.

But it feels like cuddling. It feels like cuddling and half-opened eyes and toes that wrap around each other.

And maybe she doesn’t mind when Robin takes a picture, and maybe she pretends to be more angry than she really is when he tapes over thirty copies up on the walls of the Cave. Maybe she likes it.

Maybe this is definitely her home.

**Author's Note:**

> duong jai: one who climbs inside your heart


End file.
